Chandigarh golfer Angad Cheema was rewarded for his consistency this season after he saved his nerve to prevail in a playoff towards Aman Raj of Patna and thus finish an 11-year look forward to his second PGTI title within the Vizag Open golf championship on the East Level Golf Membership course right here on Saturday.
Angad (69-61-70-68), the in a single day chief by three photographs, struck a three-under 68 within the remaining spherical to finish up with a event complete of 16-under 268.
Nevertheless, Angad, who had posted six earlier top-10s within the season together with two runner-up finishes, had firm on the high of the leaderboard after a flurry of birdies by Aman (66-68-69-65) in direction of the top of the spherical noticed the latter ship the day’s finest rating of six-under 65 that drew him stage with Angad at 16-under and took the match right into a playoff.
Angad transformed an eight-foot birdie putt to win the playoff and thus decide up the profitable cheque price INR 15 lakh that pushed him up from fourth to 3rd within the TATA Metal PGTI Rating.
Angad stated, “It’s an awesome aid and a monkey off my again to lastly win after so lengthy as a result of I had come near victory on so many events lately and had not closed it out. I’m now wanting ahead to larger issues.
“My strategy this season and particularly at this time was to simply attempt to preserve giving it my finest with out worrying an excessive amount of in regards to the outcome as a result of that was not in my palms. It was annoying to not win regardless of coming shut so typically however my confidence was sky-high figuring out that I used to be taking part in nice golf each week and that saved me going,” he stated.
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Bengaluru’s Aryan Roopa Anand (67) and Gurugram’s Kartik Sharma (70) completed a distant tied third at a complete of 10-under 274.
On the ultimate day, the 34-year-old Angad, runner-up on the PGTI final week in Hyderabad, saved a agency grip on proceedings by sustaining his lead with a snug three-shot margin until the sixteenth gap because of his wonderful placing as 4 of his 5 birdie conversions got here from a spread of 12 to twenty toes. He dropped just one bogey on this stretch.
Then got here a twist as Angad discovered the bunker and made a bogey on the 18th whereas Aman rallied by sinking three birdie putts from a spread of 10 to fifteen toes on the final 4 holes to attract stage. With Aman gaining momentum, the match headed right into a playoff at the same time as there was a drizzle so as to add to the drama.
The six-foot-one-inch tall Angad then seized the initiative on the playoff gap along with his distinctive tee shot and strategy shot to arrange an eight-footer for victory. Angad nailed his birdie putt whereas Aman missed his birdie putt from 20 toes. It was Angad’s third skilled win as he now has two titles on the PGTI and one title on the PGTI Feeder Tour.
“At the moment my putter was on fireplace as I holed a whole lot of very essential putts which saved the momentum going for me. Aman performed very well to pressure the playoff, but it surely was an entire new ball recreation as soon as the playoff started,” Angad stated.
“On the playoff gap, my tee shot was essential as a result of I had struggled off the tees all day. After Aman hit the golf green along with his drive, I knew I needed to put it in play to have an excellent likelihood and that’s precisely what I did. I then performed a terrific strategy shot and left myself an excellent quantity on the inexperienced. My placing confidence was already excessive and that lastly helped me sink the profitable putt on the playoff gap,” he concluded.